Journalists from Russia Today, which was the first international media organisation to gain access to the besieged city of Cizre, where almost 200 people were burned alive in basements and hundreds of other civilians killed, launched a petition calling for the investigation of war crimes.

The journalists were so appalled and shocked at the savagery and carnage that had gone on, with little mainstream media coverage and interest from international human rights groups that they have started a petition addressed to the United Nations Council to investigate Turkey for war crimes. The text of the petition, link and report from Cizre is below. (scroll down for video) They are also tweeting on #JusticeForKurds

WE URGE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED MASS KILLING OF KURDS IN TURKEY

In February 2016, Kurdish activists accused Turkish troops of slaughtering hundreds of civilians trapped in basements in Cizre. Reports stated that some 150 people were burned to death.

RT travelled to Cizre to get first-hand accounts from witnesses. They showed us the site of the alleged mass killing. RT filmed the destroyed buildings, including blood stains on the debris, and shell casings. A witness told us that among the victims were women, and children as young as ten years old. (See Video Below)

RT contacted Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, ICRC and other international organisations – and shared the materials with them; but none of them commented substantively, citing a variety of reasons.

With this petition, we want to attract widespread public attention and call for an independent international investigation led by UNHRC into the alleged mass killing of Kurds in south-eastern Turkey.